“What is happiness? It’s a moment before you need more happiness.”
“Advertising is based on one thing, happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay.”
-Don Draper
And we are endowed by our creator with certain in alienable rights, among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness – Declaration of Independence
Happiness is one thing- City Slickers
“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”
― Tom Bodett
So what is it? How do we define happiness? of course there is a dictionary definition but how do we as individuals define it for ourselves. Is it different for everyone? How about self actualization? is that happiness? Does it really come from within? How about money? is that a factor? If we don’t know what it is how do we know if we have it? Does it change over a life time? is it an achievement or a state of mind?
Judging by the self help section in Barnes and Noble I am not the only one asking this question. There was a whole sub section, about 10 shelves, dedicated to happiness books. I don’t ever remember seeing that before. Have we all lost our way? Am I wrong or didn’t it used to be so much simpler? is it just the new ” hot topic” Maybe our expectations are unrealistic. I remember about 20 years ago a friend’s therapist told her to stop trying to be happy but just have happy moments. I thought it was terrible then and I still don’t like the idea. I accept that we can’t be happy all the time but there has to be more to it than that. Part of my quest is to figure that out.
Everywhere I look someone is studying it. read a recent study that said self compassion is a key to happiness. Perhaps. Another said happiness is in your DNA. Maybe. Harvard has a new center to study happiness. that should be interesting. Computer scientists are developing an algorithm to determine happiness on Twitter. Have to factor in the trolls I guess. I have added a link to 7 Ted Talks about happiness. Perhaps a good place to start.
Seeing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Bhutan recently reminded me of a “fun fact” I knew about the country that I picked up from the British Quiz show QI. Bhutan has a Gross National Happiness index. In the 1970’s the Fourth King decided that Gross national Happiness was more important tan Gross National Product. It took awhile but other nations started to see the benefit. The UK started measuring National Well being and the UN has a World Happiness report. There are now five countries that have Ministers of Happiness. According to that report Denmark is the World’s Happiest Country. The US didn’t even make the top 10. What to they have we don’t? I have included the link below.
Is this search for happiness a sign of an overworked disconnected society or is it a result of the fact that may of us don’t have to worry about our basic needs and we have more freedom, choices and options than ever. Are we happy with our path? Is all this navel gazing a luxury? I do think the search for happiness is universal. I just don’t think the answer is. More to come……
http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/7-ted-talks-that-will-help-you-find-happiness
http://worldhappiness.report